Disclaimer: Don't own any part of Gundam Wing or the characters, more's the pity. This is for fun...no profit involved.

Warnings: yaoi, swearing, LEMON, post-War

Pairings: 1X2 (see warnings)

A/N: Much credit must go to Kaeru Shisho, who critiqued this chapter for me, helped me make wise point-of-view choices, and basically came up with the ending. She is a treasure! Talented, insightful, and generous with her time!

THE HIGHEST BIDDER

Chapter Four: Sold

Long after Duo drifted off to sleep Heero kept massaging that lean back, running his hands soothingly down each muscle and every curve and relishing the feeling of that skin under his.

He felt vaguely guilty for enjoying it so much; a bit like he was taking advantage of his sleeping friend. But try as he might, he couldn't stop himself. And the occasional drowsy "mmmm" that slipped from Duo's lips just made it harder to resist the pleasant occupation.

He'd had some time to consider his feelings—first during their meal, and then while he walked to the drug store to get the supplies for Duo's massage. The fact that Duo had shown up at the auction, almost frantic to keep Heero away from the women bidding there, and the outrageous price he'd been willing to pay, were enough to open his eyes to the fact that there was something a bit more than just friendship there.

He thought back through every moment he could remember—every time Duo had dragged him out for pizza, or helped him work on his car—every time the braided man had been waiting at the Preventers infirmary when Heero was brought in injured from a mission. And looking back at those moments, he saw one thing clearly—whether he'd ever verbalized it or not, Duo cared an awful lot about him.

Now the question was, did he care for Duo as much, and in the same way? And as he let his fingers drift over scars both old and new on the familiar back, frowning at the reminders of how often Duo had come close to death, he realized he did. When he'd noticed how pale and worn Duo looked over dinner, he'd felt more than casual concern for his friend. And when he'd seen him walk out of the bathroom, droplets of water still clinging to the sleek muscles of his chest and sliding down to disappear into the towel, he'd felt a rush of desire he'd never acknowledged before.

That wasn't to say he'd never felt it. There were times he'd been distracted by the smell of Duo's shampoo as they played pool, or noticed the heat of the other man's body beside him when they leaned over a mission report together. But he'd tamped down those vague moments of attraction, telling himself they were inappropriate and unreciprocated. He'd been so sure Duo wanted to be his friend—nothing less—and certainly nothing more.

But now—he'd heard it from Duo's own lips—words that could change everything between them—if Duo really meant them.

But did he? Did that whispered "I love you" as Duo drifted off to sleep mean what Heero thought it did? Did it verbally confirm what Duo's actions had been saying all along? Or was it just an expression between friends? Heero needed to know. And if that meant staying right where he was all night so that he could demand an answer in the morning, he resolved to do just that. He had a feeling it might be the only chance he'd get.

When he'd exhausted his hands and arms, Heero quietly got up and went to Duo's bureau, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and exchanging his dress slacks for the more comfortable clothing. Then he threw his shirt across a chair, blew out the candles, and slipped into bed with the deeply-slumbering ex-pilot, keeping a bit of space between them, but determined to stay until Duo woke.

The sky was paling in the pre-dawn hours before he managed to relax enough to doze off. But when he came slowly awake a bit later, it was to the feeling of another body sprawled comfortably across his.

Duo had moved sometime in the night, ending up with an arm thrown across Heero's bare chest, and his face nestled into his friend's shoulder. His soft snores breathed warm air against Heero's neck, and the loose hairs from his braid tickled the Wing pilot's skin.

One of Heero's arms was under Duo, wrapped around his waist and tingling from being half-asleep, but Heero wouldn't have moved for the world.

Instead, he smiled wistfully up at the ceiling, enjoying the sensation of having Duo's body pressed up against his. In fact, the braided man had one leg twined between Heero's, and unless the Japanese man was mistaken, there was a telltale hardness snug against his thigh. Of course, his body responded in turn, his pulse speeding up slightly as he felt the predictable tightness in his groin.

God, what a way to wake up!

Duo murmured sleepily, shifting in the typical pre-waking way, and his arm across Heero's chest tightened its grip. Then his breathing quickened, caught, and the deep indigo eyes flickered open, searching warily until they met an amused blue pair.

"'Ro?" A frown creased Duo's forehead as his half-awake mind apparently searched for a reference point. The thumb on the hand he had splayed across Heero's chest was making soft stroking motions, as if of its own volition.

"Good morning," Heero said quietly, deciding to let Duo in on the fact that he wasn't dreaming.

"Morning?"

"Yes. It's Saturday."

"Saturday?" came the rather puzzled echo.

Heero had thought that when Duo realized he was wrapped around him, he might panic and pull away, but the braided man didn't. In fact, he looked around the room for a moment, as if pulling memories from his surroundings. His gaze traveled to the candles, the nearly-empty bottle of oil on the nightstand, and then to Heero's clothes lying across a chair.

"Um, Heero? Can you help me out here, man? I'm a little—confused."

"You fell asleep while I was giving you a back rub. So I finished, put out the candles, and took the liberty of borrowing a pair of your sweats so I could stay here and make sure you ate a decent breakfast." He decided on the spur of the moment to use the concerned partner excuse, rather than admit he couldn't tear himself away.

"Oh." Duo still didn't remove his head from Heero's shoulder, though he drew back the arm across his chest, fingers sliding almost reluctantly across the smooth skin.

Heero shivered involuntarily at the touch, his breath catching in his throat.

At that point a rather sly glimmer entered Duo's eyes, and his lips twitched as if he was holding back a smirk. "Heero?"

"Yes?" came the breathless reply.

"Can you explain why I'm—um—naked?"

"Your towel must have come loose during the night," Heero guessed, trying without success not to envision what the stray towel had been covering.

"Ah." Duo still didn't pull away; nor did the firm pressure of his erection against Heero's thigh diminish. But he lifted his head, and looked searchingly into Heero's face. "You aren't running away," he said carefully.

"No."

"Why n—? I mean—. Do you want to?"

Heero chose to deliberately misunderstand. "Want to what?" He shifted his hips slightly, so that Duo could feel the response his body was having to their proximity.

"Ohhhh," Duo groaned, closing his eyes. "Fuck…"

"Yes."

The indigo eyes flew open again. "What?"

"You asked if I wanted to—fuck." Heero kept his voice carefully neutral, and his face expressionless as he played with Duo's words.

"No I di—." Duo froze. "You said 'yes.'"

"Yes," Heero repeated gravely, looking squarely into those suddenly-vulnerable eyes. He felt a shiver run through the body pressed so close to his, and watched the pupils in those deep indigo eyes dilate, and Duo's lips part, a nervous tongue slipping out to moisten them. And he decided to stop beating around the bush and seize the opportunity to pull those parted lips down to meet his.

And meet they did—in a burst of heat and sweet desire that set every nerve ending in Heero's body on fire. He slid his fingers into the loose hair on either side of Duo's face, thumbs caressing the soft, slightly stubbly skin of his cheeks as the kiss deepened and lengthened, and threatened to steal their breath permanently. And long before it ended, their bodies were melded together, legs entwined and bare chests rubbing against each other. Duo's arms had found their way around Heero's waist, his fingers digging into the muscles of the Wing pilot's back as he clung fiercely—almost desperately.

When they paused in the exploration of tongues and teeth and hungry lips, they pulled apart only enough to draw breath.

Panting against Heero's mouth, forehead against forehead, Duo blinked hazy, heavy-lidded eyes. "God, if I wake up and this was a dream I'm gonna kill myself."

"Don't even say things like that," Heero whispered hoarsely. "I can't imagine life without you." He brought their mouths together again, caressing Duo's lips as lovingly as he'd caressed his back while he slept.

Duo moaned into the kiss, hands sliding up so his fingers could run through the messy brown hair. "Aw, fuck, 'Ro—," he mumbled between teasing, heated kisses. "Please mean what you said before."

"What I said?" Heero murmured back almost unintelligibly as he sucked Duo's tongue into his mouth.

"'Bout—mmm—wanting to—."

"Y'mean fuck?"

"Mmm-hmm." Duo hooked a leg around Heero's hips, pulling their erections together with only the soft fabric of the sweatpants between them. "Want you—," he gasped, arching back as Heero's lips found his throat and a hot tongue traced its way down to a nipple. "Oh, God—please!"

"You don't have to beg," Heero whispered, licking his way back up to Duo's mouth and claiming it in another deep, hungry kiss. "I'm more than willing," he added when he pulled away to take a breath.

Duo's fingers slipped down to the waistband of the sweatpants, sliding between the fabric and Heero's skin. "Take 'em off, Yuy."

And as quickly as that, Heero slid out of the garment, kicking it down towards the foot of the bed. Then he rolled so that Duo was stretched out beneath him, his wrists held under Heero's hands. "I think I like you like this," he murmured silkily, dropping his face to the bare chest in front of him and teasing at the skin with lips and teeth. "I like it a lot," he added, working his way down.

Just as he'd lovingly stroked every scar on Duo's back the night before, he now licked and kissed each one on his front…the neat white line of a knife slash along his ribs…a pair of small, half-inch bullet holes…the patch of pale flesh where a chunk of hot metal flung from an explosion had burned into the fair skin.

It was a miracle Duo was alive. Hell, it was a miracle either one of them was. And Heero decided that it wasn't worth taking the chance that their miraculous existence might come to an end without them having owned up to their feelings and acted upon them.

The last of his uncertainty slipped away as he explored Duo's body, relishing every moan and gasp and shiver of delight he drew from his partner. Having never been a man of many words, Heero thought it better to let his actions speak for him, and so he ran his hands caressingly over the body beneath him, touching and tasting and simply drowning in the euphoric sensations.

"God, Yuy. You're amazing—."

I sure as hell hope so; otherwise how could I ever hope to hold your interest? And how did I get it in the first place?

Heero dropped that train of thought, concentrating on the taste and smell and feel of Duo's body. There'd be time enough for thinking and sorting things out later, after he'd shown Duo how he felt about him.

By the time his explorations took him down to the hard length he'd had pressed against his thigh when he woke up, he'd reached a fumbling hand for the oil on the night stand and managed to pour some onto his fingers. And at the same time he was running his tongue over the head of Duo's erection, before taking it into his mouth, he was stroking the soft skin behind it with teasing, coaxing fingers working their way to where they wanted to be.

Heero hesitated in his ministrations, looking up to meet eyes that were practically ablaze with passion. "Should I—stop?" By God, if he says ' yes' I'll—!

"Only if you want me to fuckin' kill you," came the swift reply, forced out between ragged, panting breaths.

"Well, we can't have that," Heero rasped out, totally unable to keep his voice as impassive as he'd tried. Before Duo could change his mind, Heero slid the first finger into the tight, hot passage he'd worked his way back to.

"Goddamn!" Duo gasped. "Fuck, yes!"

Heero nearly lost control at that, his body wanting to take over and just get on with it—but he held back long enough to work up to two and then three fingers. He didn't want to hurt his lover—but the need to surrender to the desires he'd tried to ignore was getting too intense. He pulled back his fingers, and brought himself into position between the spread legs, his hand shaking as he dribbled some of the oil onto his erection.

Duo was panting, his face suffused with color, and his eyes practically glowing with desire. But his hands found Heero's shoulders, holding him back slightly as he studied the familiar face. "Don't—I don't want you to do this if—unless it means as much to you—." He shook his head slightly, hesitation in his expression—almost a trace of despair in the depths of his eyes. "I can't—pretend—."

He watched Heero's eyes warm, another emotion overwriting the lust that burned in them. "So you meant what you said? Last night…as you were falling asleep."

Duo blinked, and then blushed hotly as memory returned. But he swallowed hard, and nodded. "So if—if you just want a quick fuck and then to go back to the way it was, I don't think I can—."

The Japanese man laid a gentle finger across his lips. "Shhh…" Before Duo could respond, Heero pressed a soft, tender kiss to those trembling lips. "Does that feel like all I want is a quick fuck?" Duo's wide indigo eyes met the deep blue ones, searching them for a reflection of his own feelings.

"I said that to get your attention," Heero continued. "But now that I have it—." He kissed Duo again, gently, pulling back when he tried to return it wildly. "I want much more than a quick fuck—or any other kind, for that matter. I want everything—all of you. I want to love you, and to make love to you."

"You mean you—?"

"—love you, too? Very much, Duo Maxwell." And then Heero pressed forward, slowly sheathing himself in the tight heat, never taking his eyes from the shining indigo ones.

"Oh, God I love you, 'Ro…" gasped the braided pilot, his breathing shallow as he adjusted to the intrusion. "Fuck, that feels good. You feel good." He closed his eyes, moaning quietly as Heero drew back and thrust gently. "Make that great," he breathed in ecstasy.

The husky words sent a fresh wave of lust straight to Duo's groin, nearly making him come right then.

"Mine," Heero murmured against his lips. "You're mine."

The possessive growl, tinged with awe and disbelief, made Duo's pulse race, and he wrapped his legs around his lover's waist, thrusting hard against him. "Yours," he growled in reply. "Only yours." And though he'd never admitted it before, even to himself, Duo knew his heart had belonged to his partner for a long, long time.

"Forever?" Heero asked, his pace speeding up.

Feeling his lover's eagerness—the slipping of that iron control Heero always seemed to have—gave Duo a moment of triumph, that he could be the one to make the perfect soldier lose control. He let himself go as well, matching the passion in the hard body above him.

"Always!" Duo's eyes were slitted, his attention focused solely on the joining of their bodies. "Aw, fuck Heero—." His fingers tightened their grip on Heero's shoulders, as hips thrust to meet hips, and half-lidded eyes drowned in the passion reflected back at them.

Lust long-denied brought them both to completion far too soon; first Duo tensed and gasped out Heero's name as he came between them—and the ecstasy on his face brought Heero along as well.

The feeling of his lover thrusting deep and emptying himself inside him, and the expression of rapture on the familiar, adored face intensified Duo's pleasure, drawing a deep groan, as they clung together through the waves of release and then collapsed into the jumble of blankets and sheets, panting and sated.

They remained tangled up in love, neither able to move—yet Duo felt the need to straighten out his thoughts, if nothing else.

"When?" His breathless voice broke the near-silence.

"When did I know?" came the equally breathless whisper. Heero smiled wryly, disentangling himself and rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling. "Part of me knew a long time ago. But it took my brain awhile to catch on."

"Smart guy like you?" Duo said teasingly, gradually regaining control. He turned his head, quirking a smile at his partner. But it wavered tentatively—as if he was afraid to find out what was happening wasn't real.

"Yeah, go figure," Heero smirked back. He ran his fingers across Duo's cheek, cupping the familiar jaw and leaning in for another kiss.

Duo closed his eyes, loving the feel of that strong hand—a hand that could crush his bones—cradling his jaw tenderly. He relished the warm, tender lips that devoured his own, and the teasing tongue that stroked and teased its way into his mouth. He was almost breathless again when Heero pulled back.

"So—I was thinking," Heero said with a hint of lust creeping back into his voice. "I've got some of this oil left, and even though you got a back rub, there's still a whole lot of places I neglected. You up for another round?"

"Hey, that reminds me—where'd you get the money for the auction?" Heero demanded, pushing himself up onto an elbow so he could look down at his lover's face.

"Actually, I borrowed five grand from Quatre," Duo admitted, smiling sheepishly. "And the rest I took out of my motorcycle fund."

A smile lit Heero's face, warming Duo all the way to his toes. "You were willing to give up the black death trap for me?"

"It—seemed like the thing to do at the time." Duo's lopsided grin faded, and he reached to run his fingers through Heero's tousled dark hair. "Yeah, you're worth all that, and more."

Heero Yuy, former perfect soldier and savior of the Earth, actually blushed at the soft affection in Duo's voice. And Duo watched in amusement as he tried to cover that moment of weakness, by pretending to be deep in thought, the most adorable scowl wrinkling his forehead. "Well—maybe—but you'll be paying Quatre back forever."

Duo gave a wry snort. "'S not like either one of us will be able to avoid paying for it at work."

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Yuy—everyone saw me begging Quatre for money. And you know he and Relena talk. He'll call to ask her how the auction went…she'll tell him I sold my soul to own your ass…and they'll all fill in the blanks any way they want. We're gonna be ribbed about this for days."

Duo rolled to face him, renewed lust glowing in the dark eyes. "Oh yeah." His hand slid down the lean back and curled around Heero's hip, pulling them closer together. Having caught his breath, he was already hungry for more of the most intoxicating kisses he'd ever tasted…and they had all weekend ahead of them. "It'll be worth every penny."

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